I'll never let go..| A titanic inspired story 🚢

Encounter (chapter 31)

1:40am
D Deck
We had lost James. The pair of us laughed hysterically at this completely avoidable moment. The water had risen up to our thighs and was burning to the touch. Our teeth chattered in sync as we gazed into each others eyes.

"What did you even see in him? He's insane." Joel said in an exasperated voice, he ran a hand through his damp hair.

"I don't know! My father sold me to his wealthy father. Ha!" Breathing heavily, a smile spread out on both of our faces. This was all behind us now.

"How could he sell you? You're priceless."

"Oh, please. This is worth more than I am." I held up my wrist where my Rolex was and we chuckled in unison.

"Don't be silly. You are worth more than that diamond he gifted you.." He paused, thinking. "Well I know one thing for a fact, we are stuck down here." His face was rosy and filled with warmth despite the freezing conditions. He must've been in a lot of pain with the bullet in his leg and the freezing cold water.

"How's your leg? It's a wonder he even managed to hit you."

"It hurts but it isn't agony when I take my mind off it." He said.

"Come on. Wes better get to boat deck again." I swallowed my hope and prayed there would be another boat reserved or something up there. I knew it was unlikely.

The lights flickered as we watched them attentively in E deck. The water had started to rise even more and was up to our waists. We needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. As we turned the corner, we came face to face with a red haired woman who had the most magnificent makeup. Her hair effortlessly fell in individual ringlets which my hair never fell in and was usually a frizzy, wavy mess. She seemed to be first class based on her appearance which boggled my head. Why would she be down here? Beside her, a handsome blonde haired man stood beside her. His clothes were old and worn but his gorgeous smile made up for that. He was very handsome but I was personally more into brunettes.

"Oh thank god! We aren't the only ones down here. Let's find a way out." The ginger haired woman said. She wrapped her hands around the man's and it became apparent to me that they were just like us.

"Which way?" The blonde haired man asked.

"Follow me. I know the way." Joel said as confidently as he could, he took my hand and led the four of us to a stairwell that was blocked off.

"There's no other way." I started tugging on the brass barrier but it wouldn't budge. I started to panic as the water was rising ever higher now was was just below my shoulders. Joel and the blonde haired man tried their hardest to force the gate open but it wasn't any use.

I clung tightly to Joel, fearing this was the end; that's when a worker of the titanic passed us. We beckoned him over with panicked voices and begged for him to unlock the gate. He tried to unlock the gate for several minutes until he clumsily dropped the key in the freezing water.

"Jack! We need to get that key." Jack, who I just learnt the name of, dove under the water and retrieved the key. The water was quickly rising and was just below our chins meaning we had to take a deep breath and duck. I shut my eyes, not daring to peek.

To my surprise, Jack had managed to unlock the door. The four of us stumbled up the stairs and choked from the salty, icy water.

We climbed all the way up to boat deck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2:03am

We parted ways and Joel and I spent our remaining minutes searching for a left over lifeboat. There was no sign and we had lost hope. We were near the middle of the ship and that's when the ship begun to snap. The floorboards tore apart due to the pressure building in the bow. The bow broke away and was starting to sink. We gasped and stumbled backwards, observing the new tear that had just been made in the once indestructible titanic.

"New plan. We have to get to the back of the ship. Stay on as long as possible, alright?" Joel said with a quivering voice. A white cloud of steam shot from his mouth each time he spoke.

"Okay." By now the bow was completely under and pressure was starting to build, most of the compartments down below would have completely flooded.

This new plan gave me a sense of hope. Joel tugged me along as we passed through crowds of people screaming a and shouting until we reached the stern of Titanic. A handful of people had a similar plan including the red-haired woman and Jack.

That's when I saw it. Dozens of men flinging themselves off titanic into the water. I couldn't bare to look at the tragic scene.

I had been so sheltered from sad events my whole life and everything horrible seemed to be happening at once. Adjacent to me, a young boy snuggled his mother with a face covered in snot and tears. Cries of lonely fathers and left over children could be heard all around the ship.

I felt melancholy and snuggled up close to Joel to not only feel comforted but to preserve our warmth. We huddled like a pair of penguins until I felt a rumble beneath my feet. I wondered what had happened to my father. Had he managed to get on a boat? Had James gotten on a boat? I had a feeling that relentless fucker would manage to find a way to survive this.

"What's happening?" I shrieked as I heard a loud groan beneath me.

"The ship. It's lifting." Joel gripped on tight to the railing of the stern as the back end of titanic lifted slowly into the air.

For the next few minutes, the stern of Titanic gradually lifted into the air and all that could be heard were the screams that grew louder and more desperate by the second. I kept my screams buried deep down and tried not to panic but it was getting gradually more difficult to hold on.

"On three. We gotta climb. Climb so we are on the other side of the railing. Got it?" Joel said clearly, though, his teeth chattered wildly.

"Got it." I repeated back. I wasn't sure if I could do it but I trusted Joel to help me.

"Go on 3

1.."

I prepared.

"2"

..

"3."

The two of us used our sheer force to climb over the railing. Joel managed it relatively easily but I needed a bit of extra help. He tugged on my arm and pulled me onto the railing. Titanic was basically perpendicular and was about to snap off at any second.

"This is nostalgic." I said, remembering our second encounter.

"It is. I'm so glad I saved you, Isobel."

"And I'm so glad you saved me." I replied with a raspy voice due to the pure freezing atmosphere. He cupped my face, his lips were almost as blue as his eyes when he kissed my lips. Our lips warmed as they touched but with one final groan, titanic's bow snapped and sunk. However, we weren't pulled down yet.

Titanic bobbed for a couple of minutes up and down in the water. The both of us stayed close, waiting for our imminent sinking. At last, titanic was beginning to be pulled under.

This was the end.